Paradis Island.
Beyond Wall Maria.
Dong.
Dong.
Dong.
The sound of bells carried clearly to Reiner and the others on Pieck's Cart Titan.
The people inside the Walls were ringing them. Why, they didn't know.
Only that when the bells finished, they would reach the towering barrier—and tear it down.
Still, hesitation lingered.
Now? Or wait a little longer?
"Time's almost up," Reiner reminded them.
They had agreed to strike at noon, when Pure Titans were most frenzied in their hunger.
The sun crept closer to its zenith.
Reiner counted silently, over and over. Within minutes, he had spoken up several times, drawing Annie's annoyance.
"What's wrong, Reiner? Afraid?"
"What? What did you say, Annie?!"
His voice boomed too loudly in the wooden crate.
She glanced at him with contempt.
"You're sweating."
"I—it's just hot."
He shouted the excuse, as if volume might cover his fear.
But as he looked at the vast Wall, sweat slid from his brow again.
The Colossal, yes. But my Armored Titan… can it really break something like that?
Doubt gnawed at him.
Soon, the moment arrived.
"Alright, then we—"
"Wait."
Pieck's voice broke in. Something was wrong.
"What is it, Pieck?" Reiner asked.
"People. Humans."
She veered off the ridge, ducking into the forest.
"Humans? Outside the Walls? Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. Mounted riders, in uniform. Looks like soldiers."
"Soldiers!?"
The crate's occupants stared at one another.
So the people inside had their own army? Out here?
"Could it be? I heard the Mid-East Alliance was developing new anti-Titan weapons. Maybe Paradis—" Bertolt began.
"No. Impossible. They can't get out. We trust the brass," Reiner cut him off, though he wasn't sure himself.
But retreat was unthinkable.
Absolutely not.
"We wait a bit, then strike," Reiner ordered.
"…Understood," Pieck whispered, hiding them carefully.
---
At the same time.
The Survey Corps.
Roger had known Erwin wouldn't let go.
Though he promised not to pry into the lost memories, Erwin had stationed eyes on him constantly, watching his every move.
Roger knew—if he made even a gesture that looked like betrayal, they wouldn't hesitate. A sixty-five-centimeter blade across his neck, no questions asked.
"Ha… that's what I get for slipping," Roger thought bitterly.
Erwin's instincts were too sharp, sharper even than Magath's. Dangerous. He'd need to be careful.
Then—something flickered.
"?"
Roger caught movement on a distant ridge—then nothing. Empty.
A mistake? Maybe. But his gut clenched.
He tugged at his reins, ready to investigate—
But immediately, two soldiers rode up on either side, hemming him in, leaving no gap to slip through.
"…Fine."
He let it go, continuing onward.
Behind him, Hange's squad covered the rear, slowing to harass Titans tailing the column. Roger hoped she had sharper eyes.
The bells had already rung. Soon, the city gates groaned open.
The Survey Corps spurred their horses, smoke trailing as they swept inside.
From whispered words, Roger pieced it together.
This was Shiganshina, within Wall Maria.
Population low. Most of the land overgrown. A trap-like city.
Past it, at last, he had entered the Walls.
Erwin ordered all but the wounded to dismount—better than trampling townsfolk.
Roger obeyed, walking his horse with the others into narrow, crowded streets.
The houses were crooked, jammed together. Life here looked poor, cramped.
The people filled the street, but not with cheers.
"So few came back…"
"They must have been eaten. All because they insist on running outside the Walls."
"What a waste. Our taxes fatten them like cattle, just to feed the Titans."
No sympathy. Only resentment.
Roger hadn't expected it.
But not all were hostile.
In the crowd, he saw a boy staring with awe, beside a black-haired girl carrying firewood, her beauty striking even through the hardship.
So only children dreamed of freedom? Roger sighed, remembering the orphans from the zone who once spoke of seeing airships.
"Moses! Moses!"
A woman cried, pushing forward. An old mother.
"Commander, my son! Where's Moses?!"
"Bring him forward," Keith said flatly.
Soldiers carried a body, wrapped in a cloak, laying it at her feet.
"Moses!!"
The cloak torn open—half a body gone, a leg, a torso chewed clean.
Viscera shoved back inside, congealed with blood.
"Uhhh—"
She clutched his pale face, wailing.
The crowd stirred, their resentment boiling higher.
"But… my son's death had value, didn't it? Even if he didn't achieve glory, it still served humanity's fight, right?!"
Her trembling voice, desperate, pierced Keith's heart.
He froze, hollow-eyed at her anguish.
"Of course," he said without thinking.
Then realization hit—he had said these words too many times.
"…No! This expedition—we accomplished nothing! No discoveries! No victories! All my fault! I sent them to die, uselessly!" Keith's voice cracked as years of grief spilled out.
The square fell silent.
Never before had a Commander spoken so. Even in failure, they'd always found words to soothe.
But now, to admit ruin outright—
No one spoke further.
What use in blaming men who already bore the weight of their own defeat?
Roger thought to speak, to defend the Survey Corps, but stopped.
He understood Keith.
To claim all the blame was to shield the Corps. If they quarreled with the people now, the Corps would be dissolved.
Roger said nothing.
The Corps marched on.
Life returned around them—meals cooked, laundry gathered, animals calling, smoke rising.
Peace, fragile.
Then—
BOOM!!
The ground shuddered.
People screamed, spilling into the streets.
"What happened?!"
"Something's falling—"
And then they saw it.
A colossal hand gripped the sixty-meter Wall.
A vast shadow fell over the district.
A monstrous face rose slowly above the battlements…
//Check out my Patreon for 20 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[[email protected]/Razeil0810](http://[email protected]/Razeil0810)